"You will always be fond of me. I represent to you all the sins you never had the courage to commit."— Oscar Wilde (The Picture of Dorian Gray)

Sunday, February 24, 2013

BASS DESIRES RUN THROUGH MADHOUSE

PATIENT: DEANNA LEPSCHILLNESS: WRITER When did you start writing?
Why did you pick the genre you write it?

I started writing at a young age, mostly poetry. I didn't
start writing fiction until college when I had a terrible experience with a
boy. I've always said writing is a way to exercise my demons and
he-who-shall-remain-nameless helped me realize it. At the time, I'd say my
fiction was very centered on literary mainstream. Since then, my main genre
focus is on Romance and Science Fiction (sometimes together, sometimes not.)

Where you get your ideas from?
Do you journal at all?

My ideas come from everywhere but they are most often tied
to music or lyrics. I take a healthy amount of my ideas from my crazy dreams
and from asking myself a lot of "what if" questions.

What’s
a normal (writing) day like for you?

Monday through Friday I write for a minimum of 2.5 hours or
1.5k words (whichever comes first) as soon as I am finished working the evil
day job. On Saturdays and Sundays I try to leave the house by 8 and I'm gone
until noon or 1 depending on how much other work I have to do (emails, blog
posts, etc.). I always write in coffee shops, bookstores, or bars--if I stay
home, the pressure to clean or do laundry or pet my dogs is too much and I get
nothing on the page.

Favorite author or book? Who
are you currently reading?

I have so many favorites. My all-time favorite is Douglas
Adams. He blends brilliance with the silly flawlessly. I aspire to that. I also
LOVE Gail Carriger, Maria V Snyder, James Dashner, Rick Riordan, Mercedes
Lackey. I'm currently reading something steampunk but I'm not sure if I like it
so the author and book shall remain a mystery.

Do you prefer writing poetry
or prose? Why one over the other?

I find writing prose more enjoyable but writing poetry more
satisfying. If that makes sense.

Do you write in silence or
with noise (tv, movies, music)?

Not only do I need music to write, but I need the hustle
and bustle of a public place as additional background noise and visual
distraction.

Do you have any weird habits
when it comes to writing?Do you type or
write longhand?

Besides needing to write somewhere other than my office?
Not really. I prefer writing on a computer rather than long hand. I hate having
to transfer words from paper to word doc.

Would you consider yourself a
Plotter or a Pantser?

I'm a Pantser who wants desperately to be a plotter. I do
both. I try and create an outline in a basic form that can guide and keep me on
track. Inevitably, my characters start doing what they want about 40 pages in
and the outline is out the window.

What do you think is the
hardest aspect of the craft?

Translating what is so clear in my head into some sort of
murky watered down word version on the page. Sometimes if all flows beautifully
but most of the time it's painful and a little gross. Kind of like a really
gooey sneeze.

Current projects?

Currently writing an adventure novel that I call a jaunt
through my psyche. I foresee these characters encountering all things wonderful
and frightening on their journey. It's been a blast to write so far. I am also
editing a contemporary romance about a rock band and a writer called Bass Desires and hope to have that one
finished soon.

How do you balance being an
editor and being a writer? (Or double jobs, being a mom/dad, etc.- apply to
your situation)

Precariously at best. To write full time, I've had to
sacrifice personal time with the hubs and friends. I struggle with balance.

What do you think people
expect from you with your writing?EX:
Can they always count on a good gross out?

You can always expect strong relationships in my books. I'm
not talking about a romance, though that's often present. I'm talking about
interpersonal relationships with family, friends, protagonist/antagonist, etc.
Relationships, to me, are what make people interesting and make a book worth
reading.

Advice for aspiring writers?

Ass in chair, fingers on keyboard. If you want to be a
writer, stop talking about the future and do it already. You can't be a writer
if you don't WRITE.

Bio: Deanna Lepsch is a jack-of-all-trades, writer/editor extraordinaire, and artsy-fartsy entrepreneur. Her current focus is on developing her YA adventure romance white editing her work in progress. When she's not writing, she's sewing, modeling, tweeting, brewing and tasting beer. You can read about her adventures in brewing at www.inveteratemediajunkies.com. Deanna was a contributing writer and co-editor to the Hazard Yet Forward Anthology and is an editor for Dog Star Books.

Behind the Madness

Stephanie M. Wytovich is an American poet, novelist, and essayist. Her
work has been showcased in numerous anthologies such as Gutted:
Beautiful Horror Stories, Shadows Over Main Street: An Anthology of
Small-Town Lovecraftian Terror, Year's Best Hardcore Horror: Volume 2,
The Best Horror of the Year: Volume 8, as well as many others.

Wytovich
is the Poetry Editor for Raw Dog Screaming Press, an adjunct at Western
Connecticut State University and Point Park University, and a mentor
with Crystal Lake Publishing. She is a member of the Science Fiction
Poetry Association, an active member of the Horror Writers Association,
and a graduate of Seton Hill University’s MFA program for Writing
Popular Fiction. Her Bram Stoker Award-winning poetry collection,
Brothel, earned a home with Raw Dog Screaming Press alongside Hysteria:
A Collection of Madness, Mourning Jewelry, An Exorcism of Angels, and
Sheet Music to My Acoustic Nightmare. Her debut novel, The Eighth, is
published with Dark Regions Press.

Follow Wytovich at http://www.stephaniewytovich.com/ and on twitter @SWytovich​.